The pod was not in bad shape; besides rigging the oxygen synthesizer, adjusting things to carry humans would not be so very difficult, not with her skills with mech.  The hardest part would be programming it to go to the right place once it left the space station, and that she was leaving to her mate.  He was also going to rig a beacon for The Jezebel and The Fire to pick up on, but that he hoped would be difficult to find by anyone else. Impressive, if he could do it.  Then they just had to program where they wanted the pod to go and they could leave this dead rock behind them. 

Hopefully, not so that we can die in a confined pod that explodes in space because it was never meant to carry flammable gas, like say, oxygen.

She thought about telling her mate again that this was a bad idea, but did not want to see that challenging grin of his again.  It made her want to bite his lip, and they didn't have the time.

With a final sigh of resignation, she stepped around Tolan, who stood beside her studying the pod with a blank look that gave nothing of his thoughts away.  She could not stop herself from running her hand over his backside softly before she stepped forward and got to work. He just looked so uncharacteristically serious, she really had no choice.  He had been touching and kissing her at odd moments since she had woken up last. It felt good to be able to do the same, and hearing his growl of reaction did not hurt either.

There were a few perks to having a mate that she had not expected.  She could not deny that she liked having someone to share her more playful side with, and she did not like to think of being on her own against Warrung if Tolan had not come for her. 

She was lying in the pod, stretched out on her belly since there was no room for her to stand, or even sit comfortably, and reaching for the control panel when she realized she never had to be alone again.  Anyone but Tolan Lark and she wondered if she would start to panic, but something about the Shakien had called to her from the first.  She had always been alone, was comfortable that way.  This was better. 

She shook off her romantic drivel and went back to work.  First, they had to survive, and then she would ask him why every moment she spent with him felt like they were binding together tighter and tighter.   He was a tricky cat; she had no doubt he was keeping a few things about the Shakien mating to himself.  But then she had not exactly explained to him what a Dainaree mark meant, had she?

It took Jax the better part of the day working on the pod to make it compatible to carry oxygen breathers.  Tolan watched her work and helped where he could, but mostly he monitored the com now that he had turned back on the short-range scanners.

According to the scanners they were alone.  Neither of them believed that was accurate, but if his mate could not detect the feed that Warrung was using to watch them, he sincerely doubted they would see the ship before it was upon them.  And he had no doubt Warrung was watching.  He just didn't know how or why.  He kept expecting to be attacked by monsters, or have random explosions or fire to deal with. It was almost disappointing when they finished the changes and were set to go.

They had harvested fuel from one of the bigger ships that had been abandoned, for good reason it seemed.  Neither of the other two ships were space-worthy.  Jax could have gutted one and rigged the other, or so she had assured him, but it would take longer than either of them thought they had to get it done.  The pod would have to do.

They could have used a small space of rest once she stuck her head out of the pod and said, "It's as ready as it will ever be."  But neither of them wanted to take that chance.  Instead, she went back inside and he followed her in, or rather forced his big naked way in, lying down partially over her and partially on his stomach across the cold metal of the pod.  He had very little room to move, but Jax had even less.  She grunted and shifted until she could reach the controls, giving him a look of disgust but saying nothing about what they could not change.  She used the com panel she had rigged and shut and sealed the doors.  Tolan had gone back for the chains when he realized there was nothing to secure them inside the pod.  He reached over and pulled it over both of them, locking them down.  They could move a bit, roll over if they worked at it, but that was about it.

His mate looked at him with skepticism in her eyes but did not ask if he was sure he wanted to do this. They both knew there was not really a choice.  The thruster set, he pulled her closer to his body, protecting her flesh with his own.  They had already set the coordinates and calibrated takeoff.  She pushed the button that opened the shuttle bay doors and the pod popped up with everything else not strapped down.  Thrusters fired and they were off.  There was no way to set a force field without a lot more work than they were prepared for so once they left the space station, everything in the shuttle pod and possibly beyond would be lost to the vacuum of space.  There was no turning back now.  Then the pod reached full speed and the force of their flight with only minimal dampeners took its toll, and they both blacked out.

***

Tolan woke up to the feel of hard warrior fur flowing over his much more fragile human skin.  He had shifted into warrior form in his sleep.  He knew they were in trouble.  Jax was still in his arms, but the chains were no longer securing them to the pod; in fact, the pod was nowhere to be seen.  Instead the flocked burgundy walls would have convinced him he was no longer on a ship at all if he could not feel the motion and hear the onboard motors. 

Then the scent hit him and he no longer had any doubt where he was and who was in the room with them.  He turned his head and fought the headache that pounded behind his eyes from the abuse the speeding pod had put their bodies through.  They were on the floor with a broad ornate desk behind them.  It was a huge room for a spaceship, where space was usually at a premium. 

He saw Warrung, and the man smiled at him urbanely, his eyes as dead as the last time they had crossed paths.  Then he had been there on Alliance business; this time Warrung knew him for what he was.  The giant cyborgs at his side, both holding blasters pointed at them, proved that.  Tolan studied the man he had spent so much time trying to bring down.  It surprised him once again how much he looked like Lucan.  Every facial feature, to the tone of his skin and blue eyes, all proclaimed them closely related.  Lucan could be a cold bastard as well.

Jax stirred beside him and he felt her wake up before she opened her eyes.  The man's eyes ran over the naked back of her, and Tolan could not stop the tightening of his arms around her, or his low growl.  Jax froze, her eyes flashing up to meet his with a question in them--not fear, not from his mate, but caution.

"Well done," Cor Warrung said, finally breaking the silence.    "I must say," he added, continuing to ogle Tolan's mate.  The obvious appreciation in his voice never reached those dead eyes. "When our now deceased friend Mixa, the pathetic excuse for a mech, told me what you were capable of, I was even sorrier we did not become better acquainted."  Warrung smiled with no small satisfaction when Jax stilled utterly at the realization of who he was.  "But then perhaps this was a better way of finding out what you were capable of, after all."

Tolan did not need to look at Jax to know all the blood had drained from her face.  But she kept her silence and stayed still in his arms. 

Warrung finally removed his eyes from Jax and eyed Tolan with a whole lot less pleasure.  He sounded halfway between temper and satisfaction when he spoke, as if he could not decide which way he was leaning.  "You I added to this little scenario with the expectation you would be another burden for her to handle, a Shakien who was close to going feral from his wounds and bound in chains, but you just kept surprising me.  You have more control wounded then I was led to believe."

"Let me guess," Tolan said with a sneer.  "Your Raiders suggested I was so wounded because they were forced to fight back hard when I went feral as they tried to take me?"

Cor Warrung looked less than pleased with that.  "Nearly word for word, actually."  He raised a brow that attempted to disguise that he had settled on displeasure at Tolan's words.  "I take it that was not what happened?"

Tolan shrugged as if they were discussing something mundane, and were not mortal enemies.  "I was never feral, but I did put up a fight."

"I saw what they looked like when they brought you before me.  Are you saying you did that damage without your warrior form?"

Jax was appalled to see Tolan smile wide and with a lot of teeth.  "Wouldn't you like to know?" he said, taunting Cor Warrung.  While they were at the man's mercy.  Her mate was insane.

She was tempted to pinch him, but did not want to bring attention back to her naked back. 

Tolan watched with some satisfaction as anger flashed over Warrung's face, before he banked it back and pursed his lips as if contemplating the puzzle of the other man. Tolan did not need to look down to know Jax was unhappy with his play, but at least the anger kept the man’s attention on him and not his mate’s naked backside.

"You showed some interesting skill that complemented the Dainaree's so well.  In fact," Warrung went on, adding a contemplative steepling of his hands to complete the picture of master villain he was embracing.  He was back to looking pleased.  "She was the one who brought the power back, but from what I could see, you did most of the tech work.  Generally, I don't care for surprises, but this one was interesting.  I knew you were skilled, but had no idea how skilled.  The two of you together, I think, have just the abilities I need."

"What exactly do you think we can or will do for you?" Tolan asked lightly enough, even though his curiosity was peaking.  Finally, they would find out what the man had in mind.  Of course, what he said was not what Tolan had expected.  Nor Jax if her stiffening was any indication.

"Why, to take down Port Sea of course; what did you think I wanted?"

***

It might have come to a fight then and there but there was a knock on the pretentious gold double doors that had both Jax and him craning their necks to see what was coming at them next.  He was not sure who was more displeased by the interruption, Cor Warrung or the cyborg doing the interrupting.  That amount of fear on a gargantuan male that was only half human and all augmented showed clearly that Cor Warrung was more dangerous than he looked.  Not that Tolan needed the reminder.  But he saw the knowledge in his mate’s eyes as she took in the cyborg and her eyes went speculative.

"I hope for your sake, sergeant, that you have a good reason for interrupting me?"  The cold snap of that voice made Jax shiver against him.

It had the cyborg stuttering his apologies, before a look of ire from Warrung had him getting to the point with a little panic.  "We have been hailed, sir." He cleared his throat.  "And you said to interrupt you if the Truthsayer was located."

That perked Warrung right up.  "You located the girl?"

"Yes sir," the man said, on firmer ground, "but the Captain has asked you to come to the bridge on another matter as well."

"Since when," Warrung asked, his voice going ice cold, "do I report anywhere?  Why is your Captain not coming to me?"

"It's the hail, sir,” the man answered quickly.  "They came out of light speed practically upon us."

"Who did?" The voice lost none of its coldness.  Both Tolan Lark and Jax craned their necks the other way to see Cor Warrung looking chillingly fierce, then in unison they looked back at the door for the cyborg’s reaction.  At that point, it felt like Warrung had forgotten they were there.

"The space marines, sir.  It is the High Ambassador Tryne hailing us. He is demanding your surrender for crimes against the Alliance."

Cor hissed his anger like a snake.  "And the girl’s location?"

Now the man just looked sick, if a pasty-faced cyborg could look sick.  "She stands beside the Ambassador."

The hiss turned to a scream of rage and more than one object took flight on its own and smashed against the walls beside the great doors.  Cor Warrung stood and his great gold chair went flying to hit the wall behind him with another crash, nearly taking out the cyborg that only just moved out of the way.  Tolan Lark did not see what else Warrung did because he was too busy using his armored skin to guard his naked mate. 

They both heard Warrung shout before the great slamming of the door.  "Watch them!"

The silence was almost deafening after all that hoopla, and Tolan raised his head slowly, his eyes meeting Jax’s as they did.  There was a lot she was saying with that one look, but it was her quiet whisper that had him acting.

"Bring the cyborgs closer." She whispered it so low it was more a moving of the lips than actual words.  Cyborgs had good hearing.  His was better.

"She's hurt!" he snarled, pulling her up in his lap and clutching her to his chest.  One cyborg approached, while the other stayed back, a blaster never leaving them. 

When the one was bending over them, looking at Jax, she cried out in pain and clasped at the man’s cybernetic arm while her back bowed.  A moment later the cyborg collapsed on top of them as if he was a puppet with his strings cut.  Tolan rolled to the far side of the desk, leaving Jax under the prone cyborg.  The other one cursed and, ignoring Jax, who was as still as his partner, he moved around the desk with his blaster out, trying to get Tolan in his sights around the big desk.  He reached down and touched the pulse point of his friend while keeping his gun trained.  A second later he collapsed as well, baring the sight of Jax with her hand on the man’s cybernetic knee above his boots.  Apparently nanite armor was not proof against her powers, Tolan thought absently, as he rolled the guards off his mate.  Good to know.

A second later they were both around the gold desk looking at its shiny smooth metal surface.

"Booby trapped, most likely," Tolan said, stepping back for his mate to do her thing.  She placed her hand over the smooth metal and closed her eyes.  What felt like hours but was only a few minutes later, the mechanism clicked and the desk opened to show a lovely state of the art com unit, with all the bells and whistles.

Tolan Lark smiled at her with a lot of teeth, and then kissed her hard before he let her go.  She stayed near him, her hand adding her magic to his tech savvy.  It was an unbeatable combination.  She could circumvent firewalls he could not even see, as long as she was in contact with the hard drive itself. 

And even with her help he was cursing a blue streak in his head before he finally found the information they needed.  At least he hoped it was what they needed.  He did not bother to look for individual experiments; as soon as he found the right files he uploaded the whole of it.  Also not something he would have been able to do without Jax.  Cor Warrung did not have a connection to the universal web.  It was all hardwired to this terminal.  Jax had to use up precious energy to make a connection that was not there to the command deck coms in order to send the file dump to Lucan.

By the time they were finished he had to catch her before she hit the floor.  That was when the doors opened again, and seeing the cyborgs on the floor, the two in the door opened fire on both of them.  Only Jax did not have armored skin, and the bullets that did not penetrate his warrior form jerked her in a type of gruesome dance he would never forget, not as long as he lived.  He turned to take the bulk of the blaster fire, but too late. 

Jax was limp in his arms even as the cyborgs stopped firing and reported over the com that there was an incident. 

Tolan Lark watched the pain in his mate’s face, close enough that he could see her struggle to breathe.  Close enough that he could see the dimming of those royal Dainaree eyes before they closed.

He turned and looked at the cyborgs in the doorway with eyes that no longer looked with human sight.  Whatever they saw there made them hesitate, and fear crossed the faces of the men who had human enough faces to show emotion.

They should be afraid, Tolan Lark thought.  They are going to die horribly.  It was his last thought before he gave the feral beast inside him free reign.